Walls closing on national glory

ON A ROLL: Matthew Walls is enjoying a fantastic year.

Cycling: OLDHAM’S Matthew Walls is on the brink of earning national honours.

The 13-year-old, from High Crompton, booked his place in the omnium finals after tasting a double success at Scunthorpe and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Matthew, riding as part of the Velocity 3-IN-ONE CNP junior squad, triumphed on a damp track in Lincolnshire in the under-14s category, and followed up by setting the standard in sunny Staffordshire.

He had won the previous two qualifiers in Scotland.

Velocity team manager, Phil Braybrooke said: “Matt is having a tremendous season. We expect him to be one of five youth racers who will qualify for the omnium finals later this summer and be in with a real chance of success.”

An omnium event is made up of five different races on the same day — time-trial, sprint, points, scratch and elimination.

The national series qualifiers are a series of five events throughout the North of England and Scotland, with the best three scores to count. The finals are at Halesowen in the West Midlands on August 12.

He was a silver medalist in the finals of the same event two years ago as an under-12.

Matthew has already bagged the North-West Road-Race Championship at Southport against 30 riders, taking the race in the final sprint..

Between now and the omnium finals in August, Matthew will be competing in the National Road-Race series. He will finish the road season at the Tour of Assen in Holland, a six-day tour attracting the cream of the cycling world.